Lobbyists for Local Governments
Over the last few decades, governments have privatized many of their
functions. One function that governments have begun privatizing in
recent years is lobbying higher-level governments. Since every government is at a higher level than a local
government (think not
just regional, state, and federal, but numerous agencies at each of
these levels), local government has the most lobbying to do.<br>
<br>
Most local government lobbyists are in-house (or officials do the
lobbying themselves), but many are professional lobbyists or former
officials with the connections local governments are looking to
employ (and time on their hands, since they are out of office).
Contracting with a professional lobbyist may be a good choice for a
local government that can't afford to hire one full-time, but there
may be problems when the same individual, or members of the
individual's firm, lobby the local government: the
contracted lobbyist is wearing two hats when he talks with a high-level local offiical.<br>
<br>
Contracting with a former official or others with special
connections can raise other issues. Hiring or entering into a contract with
such a person may be seen as a payback or a sweetheart deal, giving
someone who helped you get elected, or just a good friend and
political colleague, a nice income for doing what might have been
done better by a professional lobbyist or could have been done
in-house. It is an unusual example of the revolving door, which
usually involves a former official lobbying his former colleagues
and subordinates. Here it involves having the colleague employ the
former official.<br>
<br>
Some of these issues arose this week in Morrow, GA according to <a href="http://www.news-daily.com/news/2014/jan/16/effort-to-hire-democratic-pa…; target="”_blank”">an
article in the Clayton <i>News Daily</i></a>. A council member proposed
contracting with the local chair of one of the political parties to
be the city's lobbyist to the state government (it had never hired
one before). The principal issue was a perceived payback for help in getting
elected. At a council working session, there had been so much
opposition to the contract, no one even even seconded the motion
when it was made at a council meeting.<br>
<br>
Some people believe that local governments should not have lobbyists
at all, that it is a misuse of taxpayer dollars. In a world where
state tax dollars were distributed fairly, this would be true. But
that isn't the way the world works. Those communities that don't
lobby for state and federal resources will get less than their
share. And local officials can only do so much. They are not present
at the capital, they don't have the time to attend informal and
formal meetings, they do not know the ins and outs of different
committees, agencies, and offices, and they lack the necessary
relationships.<br>
<br>
As public officials, local government lobbyists should be
transparent as possible. They should be required to set an example
for all lobbyists. Their calendars and expenditures should be placed
online. They should not be permitted to make any gifts and they
should be required to seek advice from the ethics commission
relating to any possible conflicts they have. They should be
required to tell the truth, even to the point of admitting facts
about their community that may make them less likely to get a grant
or a larger apportionment of funds. They should never be allowed to lose sight of the fact that they are acting as public officials. This should also be true of those who lobby for associations of public officials, who are representing the association board not as a group of individuals, but as a group of public officials acting solely in their role as public officials.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
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